Going back to her room, Belle went to sit on the edge of her bed. When she had heard Olivia and her mother speak, at first she had been angry. She had passed the age of being seventeen for a few months now and she wished her parents would involve her things that concerned the house matters but they looked at her as a child.

She was angry with the emotion of being upset being mixed along with it, thinking that her mother had a doubt or she had heeded to what her sister had spoken but that wasn’t the case. Belle had jumped into the conclusion to only find out it was because her parents had no other go. When a person looked from afar, a house meant more than a butler because it took months and years to build a house and a butler could always be replaced by another one.

It wasn’t that her parents were weak when it came to trusting people around them, after all, in the vast connection they had grown, there were some good people in there. Like there was Mr. Rufus, Mr. Quinn, Lady Sentencia, and a few others. And then came people like her very maternal aunt Irene, Lady Olivia, Mrs. Harriet, and the man who wanted the money back was Mr. Wellington. It wasn’t her father’s fault but it was the black witches who had caused the massacre and who had cost the money which now Mr. Wellington held responsible too.

Her family was in trouble and making a deal of sending their butler was the most feasible thing to do right now and Belle knew it but it was hard to digest.

Holding herself with both her arms around her, she sighed before bringing her leg up and to place her chin on her knees. Did Lucas know about it?

“Ah,” she covered her face between her chest and knees.

She had gone as far as to tell her butler like a jealous girl not to leave her side and to not entertain women like Olivia. Though she had meant every single word, she felt mortified now. He must have known which was why he was going along with it.

But at the same time, Belle didn’t know why it felt like the pureblooded vampiress had picked up an opportune moment to hit a deal with her parents. The woman must have paid Mr. Wellington and to take over the finance issue and asking for Lucas.

At the thought of Lucas not being here after a few days, Belle came to realize she had to do something about it. Obviously, she didn’t have the money for it but she had to save her butler! That was right. Lady Olivia was like this demon who was waiting to capture the man but Belle wouldn’t let it happen.

But then Belle asked herself, did Lucas want to be saved? It looked as if he was fine working at any mansion. As if at the thought of the devil, the devil knocked on the door.

When Lucas pushed the door open where he had come with a tray in his hand that had a glass of blood tea, he offered it to her which she took in her hand.

“Which was the first family you worked for?” Belle asked him curiously.

“This is my first one. Why do you ask?” he had that faint smile and at times made her question if he meant it to be a polite one without seeming rude or if he was internally enjoying things around him with a wicked grin that was hidden behind his face. He cocked his head to the side when he saw her staring, “Is something the matter, Miss Belle?” he asked her.

Belle shook her head to rid the strange thoughts that appeared in her mind, “No. I was wondering if you will miss working here once you will leave this place to work at the Stlinkson’s mansion.”

The butler smiled at her, “I will.”

“You are smiling,” Belle pointed before gulping softly. Lucas stood close to her with a tray in his hand.

The subtle smile on his lips deepened where his eyes looked like it held something very dark and the shadow that fell on half of his body, there was something sinister that had her heart shudder. She didn’t know if it was because the room was barely lit where the only light coming from was the log of woods in the fireplace which was soon going to diminish if she didn’t add a few more logs of wood in there.

In the darkness, somewhere her heart started to beat in a rhythm which she could only hope he didn’t hear but the man heard everything. He heard and saw everything but didn’t react unless he wanted to which made it hard to understand him.

When he placed the tray on the bed and his body leaned forward, Belle’s eyes widened at the little action where he was only taking the empty teacup which she had finished drinking but the butler didn’t move away.

“Would Miss Belle not want me to smile?” his words weren’t loud but they were enough to reach her ears and maybe this was how he had been speaking for years but the ache in her chest increased at the thought of him leaving. The taunting words now appeared to be teaseful and she tried to hush her nerves. One of her feet that was placed forward, she dragged it back to place it under the bed.

“I never said you couldn’t,” she said without batting her eyelashes.

“What did you mean then?” the ends of his words turned to a whisper making her body ready to fizzle out.

There were times where her butler taunted her, cornering her with his words like now, “You always have the same smile.”

“What kind?” he asked her patiently. With him leaning close to her, Belle didn’t dare to breathe and her mind was slowly spiraling where she couldn’t think. Her eyes flickered to look at his face before it went back to looking into his eyes.

“The kind you smile,” Belle breathed the words.

“The governess must have been unreliable to not be able to teach you things that you need to learn. Isn’t it,” the smile on his face fell and she now knew why it was better for him to smile because, without the smile, this man looked more than unnerving.

Right now, Belle was a prisoner of his eyes.